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Category Archives: estate sale

This post has been a long time coming, which is not really excusable for how simple the project was! My favorite part is how cheap it was too. I picked up this little tv stand at an estate sale last summer for no more than $2. The idea was to mod-podge some cool paper on top of it, paint the legs, and make it a fun little side table. I toyed with the idea of mod-podging (which I had previously referred to as “hodge podge” and “modge podge”, both of which I learned don’t exist) some actual objects onto the top of it (i.e. postcards or pictures) but once I found this paper, I figured it did the work for me. I picked this up at a store in Minneapolis that’s hard to describe other than it has lots of fun STUFF. I’m loving these papers! A few bucks each but tons of styles and they’re thick and sturdy enough to use for all kinds of projects. I’ll definitely have to find more ideas as I’ve found these at an art supply store near me.

Anyway the mod-podge was probably the most expensive part of the project. It nearly broke the bank at $7. I pulled the tray piece off the legs and shellacked that paper onto the tray with a good 5 or 6 coats. It created a nice thick coating but I think I’ll still need to be careful not to get it wet or spill on it (not my strong suit). One issue I had was getting the paper tightly fitted into the curved corners. If you look closely (please don’t), the paper ripped in one corner and kind of stretched over another so it doesn’t fit in tight. Better luck next time. I did find that getting the paper and the tray pretty soaked in mod-podge first helped with the pliability. I threw about 4 coats of gold craft paint on the legs with a foam paintbrush and ta-da!

Total cost (estimated):

Table – $2

Paper – $3

Mod-podge – $7

Gold paint – $3

For a grand total of only about $15! Not bad. I’m still undecided on how much I like this. It’s definitely a handy size and height for my living room but probably not something I’ll move into a decent house one day. It works with my small apartment and mismatched decor for now though. What do you think? Cute or cheap looking?

Here’s the festive 70’s tv tray before. I know, I can’t believe I would cover those fetching ribbons up either.

View from the top. I’m kind of obsessed with Paris and fell in love with the paper. I think the angled placement worked out too.

Summer means an inordinate amount of popsicles, spending a lot of time in front of fans and air conditioners and venturing outside to estate sales! If you have not experienced one of these yet, you’re missing out. With much more stuff than rummage sales, you’re much more likely to find a hidden gem (or that much more crap). Sometimes you can tell right when you walk in the door that this is not the sale for you but I found a pretty interesting one recently. Whenever you see Greek/Roman-looking busts on sale for $300, you’re probably in for an interesting experience, if nothing else.

In all her glory

Luckily I showed up on the third or fourth day of the sale when everything was 70% off (!). (This happens a lot after the first day or two of an estate sale.) I happened upon this Venus di Milo statue and it was just too cool and quirky to pass up. At about $30 originally, I picked it up for $10 (and an off-white wool beret!). All dusted-up, I think it fits in well in my little corner with the other dark brown wooden accents.

Accepting name ideas for the statue. I think she needs to dress up for each holiday.